Safety Tips for Mummification

All wrapped up and noplace to go, just the way you like it!
Bondagestuck
Unfettered Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Nov 2013, 09:24
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Safety Tips for Mummification

Unread post by Bondagestuck »

I'm an amateur Bondage Director and I was wondering what some of the safety rules with mummification would be. I know not to constrict air via plugging the nostrils is a no brainer, but I was wondering about other things, like heatstroke, claustrophobic attacks and the such. Whats the safest way to cut someone out of a tape mummifcation or should I use a non adhesive like vet wrap or something similar Feedback would be great!

User avatar
stephanie_cd
Forever Mummified
Posts: 3246
Joined: 23 Nov 2005, 04:16

Re: Safety Tips for Mummification

Unread post by stephanie_cd »

If you're new at mummification, we have a whole section of the forum you should probably read: the Mummification forum!

Seriously.

It may be a lot of information to absorb, because there's really a lot TO mummification. On the surface, it seems really simple: wrap someone up so they can't escape.

In reality, there are a LOT of safety issues to consider, and you already touched on a few: breathing and airways, heat buildup, claustrophobia and panic attacks, and how to cut someone out of a "wrap."

There are also a LOT of other safety considerations with mummification bondage that aren't as much an issue with other types of bondage: positional asphyxia, pressure points, not cutting off circulation (especially to the head), balancing the mummy while wrapping (aka "two riggers are often better than one"), fire and other environmental hazards -- and the "safety considerations" don't even address the "quality of life" details on how to wrap someone successfully.

For cutting someone out of plastic wrap (or really any other wrapping) there's nothing quite like a pair of EMT shears. They're sharp, they're readily available and not that expensive, they're powerful (which can be good AND bad) and they're blunt so the user can't easily poke the "victim." It's important to lift the wrap AWAY from the person inside so those powerful scissors don't accidentally cut the skin, but once a hole is started it's possible to just open the shears slightly, with one blade inside and one outside, and then sort of "unzip" the plastic without actually having to "scissor" the blades back and forth. (If you've ever cut gift wrap that way, you'll know what I mean!) Get a couple pairs and keep them handy from the start.

Positional asphyxia -- here's the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_asphyxia

This can be an issue with mummification IF the chest and stomach are wrapped too tightly for the victim to fully expand their lungs, or if they're in any sort of position where their body is restricted in any way. A lot of people think plastic wrap could make for a good "ball tie" -- and it can -- but that position can make it hard to breathe as well, with potentially fatal results!

Heat buildup: even in a cool room, someone wrapped in layers of plastic and air can overheat in a hurry, ESPECIALLY if they're struggling. Trapped air is a great insulator -- look at down coats -- and if you're wrapping an irregularly shaped object like a person in plastic, you'll trap air both inside the wrap AND between the layers of the wrap! Just as importantly, plastic doesn't "breathe" or let air or water vapor pass through it anywhere as easily as fabric, so the inside of a plastic cocoon can get very sauna-like very quickly. If someone's actively struggling, most of the heat from that exertion will just be reflected back by the plastic.

On a side note, heat and plastic and sauna-like conditions can lead to perspiration, which can make the inside of the cocoon sweaty and slick. While that can be fun, it can also lead to wanting to know how to make the wrappings more secure, AND it can also lead to the plastic wrap shifting around -- and if it's the plastic wrap covering the victim's HEAD that shifts and their nose or mouth gets covered we're back to asphyxiation again!

Balance and "two riggers" -- when you're tying someone up with rope, a lot of the time they're already in something close to the position they'll be spending time in, whether it's laying down or sitting in a chair. With mummification, and wrapping around and around and around the victim, it's often easiest if they're standing up, with nothing in the way to catch the plastic wrap or block the wrapper's path around the victim. Of course, that means that there's nothing for the victim to hang onto or lean into, and it can be a challenge to keep one's balance when someone is pulling on you from all sides with a roll of plastic wrap, ESPECIALLY when your head or lower legs are covered! It's entirely possible to wrap someone from the knees up or the elbows down, then lay them on the bed with the unwrapped portion hanging off, but for one person to maneuver another person who's immobile and probably can't even easily bend at their knees or waist is a challenge.

This is getting too long already -- as mentioned, this is a bondage FORUM with a lot already written on the subject!

Be careful wrapping the head and/or neck -- it doesn't take a lot of pressure to cut off the circulation to someone's brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoxia_%28medical%29

Pressure points: if you wrap or tie two sections of someone's anatomy together where there are blood vessels or nerves, and/or not a lot of "body cushioning," circulation can be cut off or it can get pretty uncomfortable. Knees and elbows are often places that benefit from some sort of padding -- even a folded up washcloth -- inside a wrap.

Mummification can be a lot of fun, but it also takes a long time to wrap someone correctly -- a lot longer than putting on a pair of handcuffs! -- and it's no fun to wrap someone halfway and then have to let them out because they're uncomfortable.

Go, read, have fun. Learn the physical, logistical, and financial differences between household plastic wrap, pallet wrap, and vet wrap, see what people have to say about various kinds of tape over each type of wrap. As I said at the start, there's a lot to absorb, but there are a lot of posts to help you out! Nobody becomes an expert on this stuff overnight or from asking "how do I...?" but based on the number of posts (and other sites) on mummification and other types of bondage, they're definitely popular! :D

User avatar
Franzia
Hopelessly Suspended
Posts: 1337
Joined: 28 Oct 2005, 17:21
Location: United States

Re: Safety Tips for Mummification

Unread post by Franzia »

Wow- stephanie covered it so well! :D The only thing I can add at the moment: it could be a great help if you found a model who has some verified mummification experience.

Bondagestuck
Unfettered Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Nov 2013, 09:24
Location: Orange County, California
Contact:

Re: Safety Tips for Mummification

Unread post by Bondagestuck »

Wow, thank you for the good pointers, these are some things I didn't think of. Thank you for all the info!

Post Reply